Posada picks up 1,500th hit
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (20) hits a single in the bottom of the third inning against the Texas Rangers. (April 17, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Jorge Posada's second hit of yesterday's game, a single in the third inning, put him in some rare company. It was Posada's 1,500th hit, making him the 19th Yankee to reach that milestone and fourth whose primary position was catcher. Yogi Berra (2,148 hits), Bill Dickey (1,969) and Thurman Munson (1,558) are the others.
"When you mention people like that, it's exciting," said Posada, 38, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and is hitting .364 (12-for-33) this season.
Francisco Cervelli has caught CC Sabathia's last two starts, both dominant wins, and Sabathia gushed about Cervelli's communication skills and willingness to learn after Friday's win.
Joe Girardi said he has no plans to make Cervelli a personal catcher, though, and added that Posada - who had trouble meshing with A.J. Burnett for much of last season but caught Burnett's seven shutout innings yesterday - still is the main catcher.
"The great thing is he's not done yet," Girardi said of Posada. "There's still more things he can do."
Extra bases
Derek Jeter has hit safely in all 11 games. He hit a two-run homer and singled twice despite a cold, and Girardi replaced him with Ramiro Peña to begin the eighth. Jeter is hitting .380 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 11 games . . . Alfredo Aceves gave up a three-run homer in the eighth to Nelson Cruz, who leads the majors with seven home runs. Damaso Marte and Joba Chamberlain closed out the win, and Chamberlain picked up two strikeouts in the ninth with sharp sliders . . . The Yankees won their fourth straight series to start the year, their best opening run since winning the first five series of the 1926 season . . . Robinson Cano had his hitting streak ended at 10 games. He also lost his streak of hits in 27 consecutive April games; according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the longest streak in AL history and one shy of the modern record held by the New York Giants' Dan McGann (1903-06) . . . Weird numbers: Nick Johnson has a batting average of .176 and a slugging percentage of .324 - but with 13 walks in 11 games, he has a .429 on-base percentage. He walked twice yesterday, once with the bases loaded.
